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Morrow throws successful bullpen session

Morrow throws successful bullpen session

TORONTO -- Brandon Morrow threw a bullpen session on Friday afternoon for the first time since straining his left oblique muscle in June.

Morrow got through his work on the mound without experiencing any pain. He is expected to throw a total three bullpens before being allowed to face live hitters.

"Good 'pen today -- he felt good about it," Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. "Didn't feel any signs of the oblique strain during the session. Provided tomorrow checks out as he finished today, he would throw another 'pen on Monday."

Morrow hasn't pitched since departing his start on June 11 against the Nationals after just nine pitches. At the time of the injury Morrow was the club's most valuable pitcher, posting a 7-4 mark with a 3.01 ERA in 13 starts.

Despite having been on the disabled list for more than a month, Morrow still leads the American League with three shutouts. He has 67 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings this season.

The latest update comes as welcome news to the Blue Jays, but Morrow is still not close to a return. Farrell estimated that Morrow would need at least three rehab starts before re-joining the big league club, and even that step appears to be a couple of weeks away.

"He's still a little ways away, this isn't going to happen in the next 10 days," Farrell said. "We have some steps we have to go through, particularly with a starter, and we'll make sure -- as valuable as he is -- we can't skip any steps in this."